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Collins to head Marshal’s Office

By LEE WILLIAMS
lwilliams@TheCitizenNews.com

A longtime veteran of law enforcement from Clayton County has been tapped as the new chief of the Fayette County Marshal’s Office.

Edward A. Collins, 56, of Jonesboro, took the helm of the department on Feb. 28, officials said. Collins, who has over 30 years of law enforcement experience, brings a wealth of knowledge and qualifications to the department.

“Chief Collins came to Fayette County after his retirement from the Clayton County Solicitor General’s Office, where he served as the chief investigator,” according to the county’s Web site. “Chief Collins is a Professor of Public Administration and Criminal Justice at Saint Leo University and the Georgia Military College.”

Collins will replace former Chief Butch Hall, who retired from the post after 16 years of service. Hall left the post to work with Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Scott Ballard as the chief investigator in the Griffin office.

Collins will be the second person to hold the chief slot since the department was created in 1989.

Collins holds a master’s in public administration from Columbus State University, a bachelor’s degree in criminology from Saint Leo College and an associate’s degree from Clayton State University.

Collins also completed the Administrative Officers’ Course from the Southern Police Institute. He also holds a management certificate from Georgia’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Council.

Collins previously worked for Keith Martin, the former Clayton County Solicitor General who now works as the city solicitor for Fayetteville and Tyrone. Martin spoke highly of Collins.

“He was my strong right arm and he is the most highly trained, highly educated peace officer that I have ever known,” Martin said when reached via cell phone.

The Marshal's Office, which had a staff of nine in December and a $636,000 budget enforces county ordinances, zoning ordinances, sign regulations, building codes, dumping and littering regulations, beer and wine ordinances and business license regulations.

The Marshal's Office serves citations or papers for the various county departments. The Marshal's Office also assists in various investigations with the Tax Commissioner's Office, Water Systems, Finance Department and the Commissioner's Office.

The Marshal's Office also enforces boating safety regulations on county reservoirs, laws regarding hunting, fishing, conservation and wildlife management, Department of Transportation regulations on county roads and bridges, just to name a few.

The Marshal's Office also instructs the National Safety Council Defensive Driving and a commercial driver’s license preparation course to county employees to ensure a safe working environment, which helps reduce accidents, workers' compensation claims, lost time and employee suffering.